Thinking about Risk and Reopening

One thing to consider when thinking about risk and infectious disease is the difference between individual and societal risk. Certain activities may have a very low level of risk across society. But are they possible sources of infection? Yes. Could they happen to you? Yes. Unlikely. But yes.

One thing that has been clear for a few weeks is that many of the big outbreaks outside of major cities have been in meat packing plants. That is probably in part because meat packing plants are some of the relatively few kinds of factories or workplaces that have remained open at full capacity. But it’s also in the nature of the plants themselves. (That’s likely why Amazon warehouses, which have been hit as well, haven’t been hit as badly as the meat packing plants.) People are bunched up together. There’s little regard for worker safety and quality of life. They’re natural places for spread.

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Criminal Trespass Charges Dropped Against Two Journos Who Reported At Liberty U

Two journalists who entered Liberty University’s campus to report stories about the school keeping its dorms open during the coronavirus pandemic will not be prosecuted for criminal trespass.

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‘Vaccine Or No Vaccine,’ Trump Wants US Reopen Because COVID ‘Will Go Away’

President Donald Trump said on Friday that he wants the U.S. to reopen regardless of whether there’s a vaccine for COVID-19 available because, in his mind, the pandemic will go away on its own. Continue reading “‘Vaccine Or No Vaccine,’ Trump Wants US Reopen Because COVID ‘Will Go Away’” →

COVID Is Spreading Deeper Into Areas With High Trump Support, Data Shows

COVID-19 has been spreading heavily in areas of the country with high political support for President Trump, potentially increasing the disease’s visibility and death toll in areas loyal to the President.

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Prestigious Medical Journal Slams Trump Admin COVID-19 Response In Editorial

The prestigious medical journal The Lancet took square aim at the Trump administration on Friday, urging Americans to elect a president “who will understand that public health should not be guided by partisan politics.”

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WI Mayor Slams State Supreme Court’s ‘Outrageous’ Decision On Stay-At-Home Order

Madison, Wisconsin Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway on Friday blasted the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s decision to strike down Gov. Tony Evers’ (D) stay-at-home order on Wednesday amid the coronavirus pandemic.

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Soldiering On Through The Pandemic

A TPM member checks in from the retail sector. It’s tough out there. We all know that. But this story (name withheld because of the details about the member’s workplace) offers a measured snapshot of the difficult choices employees and managers in essential businesses have been facing for weeks. The member’s evenness, lack of anger or rancor, and perseverance in the face of the daily challenges the pandemic presents are admirable.

Hi you guys, I am a member and wanted to offer, if no one else has, some insight on what it is like working in a grocery store right now.

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Russian Doctors Say Woman May Have Contracted COVID-19 Twice

MOSCOW — Russian doctors say they are treating a woman who may have contracted coronavirus for the second time after recovering from it.

The woman was discharged from a hospital in the Siberian city of Ulan-Ude after receiving treatment for coronavirus and testing negative for it in early April. But two weeks later she started having respiratory symptoms again and tested positive for the virus for the second time.

She was readmitted to the hospital and is currently being treated, says its chief doctor Tatyana Symbelova.

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